Do you know anything about Goldfish?

Question

I have Goldfish, they are about 6 inch long from tip of nose to tip of tail. One I've had for almost a year and a half, Klouse, and the other for about 3 months, Goldie. Well Goldie, ever since we got her acts funny. She will just set there at the bottom of the tank and now he has gone to setting there with her. She swims funny too, sometimes she acts like she can't stay straight up and down, sorta like she can't keep her balance. She will do this for a few hours and then she is fine again. And then Klouse will come along and use his head against her back and help her swim straight. At first we thought she was going to die, but she hasn't yet. I am in the process of cleaning their tank. So they are in a smaller bowl, they are just setting their on the bottom of the tank. Is this normal? Are they ok? Should we be worried at this?

We call them he and she but they are both of the same sex, we think. Since they haven't had babies yet. So we doubt that she is pregnant.

Why would I eat my pet goldfish? They are pets...

Answer 1

Goldie sounds like she has a problem with her swim bladder. The most common reason is gulping too much air in while they eat. If you are using a flake or floating pellet try switching to a sinking pellet and see if that helps. Feeding a thawed out frozen pea (frozen has less salt then canned) is good too, it acts as a laxative.

A bowl isn't good for any fish, especially a goldfish. They need a minimum 10 gallons each because they grow so big, 8-12 inches and because they are very messy. A filter that pumps the water at least 10 times an hour is a must to keep the water safe. The ammonia and nitrite should always be zero and in a bowl that is almost impossible unless the water is changed everyday. Ammonia and nitrite are both deadly to fish, even if it doesn't kill them it stresses them out and lowers their immune system which makes them more susceptible to diseases.

Most people don't think that goldfish need all that but they can live for over 20 years. They usually only live for a couple though because the people are not caring for them properly. If you want to learn more about how to care for them then check this site out, http://kokosgoldfish.com/

Answer 2

Sounds like she has a problem with her swim bladder.

Is the bowl that they're in being aerated? They need more oxygen in their water than other fish so they could be sitting on the bottom because they can't breathe well.

If it's not, I would dump water back and forth between two different bowls to introduce oxygen into the water and put them in that water. Or if you have an aerator, put that in their bowl.

Answer 3

It's not mating ritual. in mating they are very active and males will chase the female all around the tank until exhaustion. then the dumbasses will eat the eggs. thats why i like cichlids, they protect their eggs, and young.
Anyway It's most likely the bladder like the others have talked about.cut down on feeding and feed them peas. really, look at the sites at the bottom. The biggest thing in keeping fish is to get a tank big enough and to get good filtration good aeration and frequent water changes.
take a look at this site: http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/swimbldr.html
http://www.geocities.com/swimbladderhelp/index.html
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/ailment1.htm

Answer 4

Sounds to me like the mating ritual maybe they are different sexes after all to encourage this you need a special curtain thing so they can hide behind have a word with your local pet shop.

Answer 5

They have a nervous system but thats good you do not eat them, they are awesome animals!

Answer 6

sounds like your fish has swim bladder disease

Answer 7

wow!~